Charlotte Huston
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crystar.bsky.social
Charlotte Huston
@crystar.bsky.social
Games Writer for Minimap/SuperJump/LOGNet | Creative Writer | Teacher's Aide | Poet | Gamer | TTRPG Dev | 29F |
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2024 is done and now it's time for a new gaming thread for 2025! I'm staying the course with my backlog as well as new releases. I'm excited for experiences I'll have in the year ahead!
The Monthly Active User data that IGN reported proves my point that most of the Marvel Rivals playerbase is on console, and is well above Overwatch to boot.

www.ign.com/articles/new...
Everyone's Playing Shooters Right Now, New Data Shows — While Pokémon Legends: Z-A 'Underperformed' Compared to Arceus - IGN
Everyone's playing shooters these days, at least according to some new data from Newzoo shared with IGN.
www.ign.com
November 22, 2025 at 4:43 AM
I wrote about Ball x Pit for Minimap! It's a fun little game. Though I understand some people's gripes with it, I think it banks on being arcadey to a point that it works very splendidly.

minimap.net/magazine/Min...
Ball X Pit Sets Out To Be a Uniquely Fun Roguelike | Magazine | Minimap
Though, it speaks numbers to the quality of Ball x Pit that a game that drags at times is still worthy of recommendation.
minimap.net
November 21, 2025 at 1:44 PM
I don't want to be rude and I am wishing the best of the game but Tides of Annihilation feels as if it has no sauce, for lack of a better phrase. I like seeing more CAGs but that showing left me rather unenthused.
November 20, 2025 at 6:29 PM
I am absolutely coming down with something unfortunately. Being immuno-compromised, I'm used to it by now. Though I find it a bit amusing at this point that I get sick around every single holiday, without fail.
November 19, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Noticed that people who have the Thieves Guildmaster skin for Gambit in Rivals don't really know how to use him

Almost had double the healing of one as Mantis in a recent match lmao
November 19, 2025 at 1:10 AM
I've written about Silent Hill f! It was difficult to write about this game since giving any inkling of the story or themes diminishes the experience imo. So I tried my best to tip-toe around that.

Artistically, I find it the best new release of 2025.

minimap.net/magazine/Min...
Silent Hill f - Artistic, Uncomfortable, and Remarkable | Magazine | Minimap
I would love to rate it as a masterpiece, and it is surely on the right roadway to being one. Perhaps with more patches the game will be refined even further.
minimap.net
November 18, 2025 at 2:59 PM
The only Game Awards that matter are mine.
November 18, 2025 at 1:48 AM
Of course SpongeBob SquarePants Titans of the Tide got snubbed from the Game Awards, Geoff Keighley doesn't know peak smh
November 17, 2025 at 6:36 PM
On second thought, Expedition 33 will be hard to fit in with Octopath Traveler 0 coming. I don't know if I wanna do two JRPGs so close together, and Octopath will be pretty long I presume. Might unfortunately have to be something I put off longer as a result.
Making a list mostly for myself of new releases I still want to get to in 2025:
- Ball x Pit
- Expedition 33
- DK Bananza
- Hades II
- Megabonk
- Absolum
- Titans of the Tide
- Octopath Traveler 0

(Cont. below)
November 17, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Ball x Pit bros... I get it now.
November 17, 2025 at 2:25 AM
Making a list mostly for myself of new releases I still want to get to in 2025:
- Ball x Pit
- Expedition 33
- DK Bananza
- Hades II
- Megabonk
- Absolum
- Titans of the Tide
- Octopath Traveler 0

(Cont. below)
November 14, 2025 at 11:49 PM
I was going to review Black Ops 7 but the amount of AI slop in the game makes it complicated to review while keeping your AI-related morals intact. Even if the gameplay ends up being inherently good, it'd still leave a sour taste in my mouth. I'd rather just not touch it.
November 14, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Reminder that The Game Awards are nothing more than a popularity contest and an ad-laden miasma since Geoff Keighley kowtows to where he makes money. He does nothing to speak on behalf of the *actual* things that matter in the game industry such as the workers losing their jobs. Do not support him.
November 14, 2025 at 1:14 PM
My review for The Outer Worlds 2 is live. The short end of it is that I don't feel good critiquing Obsidian like this, but I simply do not enjoy the game. It's bland but serviceable at the very least. Mid, as the kids would say.

minimap.net/magazine/Min...
The Outer Worlds 2 - Stop Playing It Safe, Obsidian | Magazine | Minimap
The Outer Worlds is a universe based on the idea of humanity colonizing the stars. Due to an alternate history where many business trusts of the late 1800s were not broken up, we find this setting to ...
minimap.net
November 14, 2025 at 12:52 PM
The way you can swap around moves for individual Pokemon between combat encounters much akin to spells in Divinity Original Sin II in Legends Z-A is a remarkable step forward for the series. I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment here.
Exploring the exciting use of HMs and TMs in the newest entry in the Pokémon Legends series

Story by Ivanir Ignacchitti

➡️ https://www.superjumpmagazine.com/pokemon-legends-z-a-brings-an-interesting-new-take-on-the-old-hm-formula/
November 13, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Review will be on Minimap soon. I take no joy or pleasure in being hard on Obsidian, since I love their studio, but it needs to be said. I am sick and tired of Obsidian playing it safe when their potential for greatness is so much higher.
There's almost nothing to say about The Outer Worlds 2. It is the epitome of generic and hard to justify purchasing or playing in 2025 when we have an over-abundance of great games. All of the charm of the first game has evaporated into a 'fine' game, but a mid one.

Score: 73
November 13, 2025 at 3:13 PM
There's just so many games. Everyone please delay your games indefinitely, thank you, I would like to catch up on absolutely every single one.
November 12, 2025 at 5:12 AM
I wrapped The Outer Worlds 2 today. I think the ending exemplifies the lack of charm the original had. There isn't even a final speech or roundtable with your Companions like the first game.

Also having to shoehorn an antagonist in out of the blue just to have one for the ending felt jarring.
November 11, 2025 at 11:25 PM
SUPPORT GAMBIT IS REAL SUPPORT GAMBIT IS REAL
Good lord I hope one of Rogue or Gambit is a support/tank. Though honestly I don’t see Gambit being anything other than DPS. Rogue is more flexible when it comes to coming up with a kit.
November 11, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Good lord I hope one of Rogue or Gambit is a support/tank. Though honestly I don’t see Gambit being anything other than DPS. Rogue is more flexible when it comes to coming up with a kit.
November 11, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Gonna wrap up The Outer Worlds 2 tomorrow. Grinded it pretty hard today. I can't believe the game pulled one of these. (No, it's not who you'd think.)

I've also become more and more annoyed by the main story as I've gone on but this sealed it, really.
November 10, 2025 at 11:30 PM
I like how in the late stages of the main story, The Outer Worlds 2 says "You can go to X place or Y place first, whichever you want!" Yet if you go all the way to the Y place, you're told you need a device from X place to progress. Just wonderful.
November 10, 2025 at 2:55 PM